Bottle carrier



March 19, 1935. G, s. EVERHART BOTTLE CARRIER Filed Nov. l2, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 March 19, 1935. G. s. EVERHART 1,995,230

BOTTLE CARRIER Filed Nov. 12, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet? Patented Mar. 19, 1935 UNI-TED STATES BOTTLE CARRIER George S. Everhart, Terre Haute, Ind. Application November 12, 1931, Serial No. 574,486

4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in bottle carriers; and consists in the novel construction hereinafter disclosed.

An object of the invention is to provide a carrier adapted to support and protect a plurality oi. bottles or similar containers wherein the bottles may be inserted when the carrier is in extended position and then the carrier adjusted to support 'the bottles from displacement in the case or body section of the carrier, and said carrier being provided with a foldable handle engageable by the hand o1' the user for carrying the bottles thus contained in the body portion of the carrier.

Another object of the invention is to equip a 'carrier of the general class described with means for supporting the lower portion of the bottles against lateral displacement.

Another object of the invention is to provide, in a device of the class mentioned, a foldable section of the bottom wall of the carrier that is adapted to be elevated when the carrier is brought to closed adjustment to form an abutment at each end of the bottom section of the carrier.

Another object of the invention is to equip a device of the class described with foldable handle sections having a iap adapted to fold under the handle sections to provide a handle to be engaged by the user which is free from raw edges or abrading surfaces, so that the carrier may be conveniently transported.

Another object of the invention is to provide a carrier formed from a single elongated rectangular sheet of corrugated cardboard or the like having an intermediate bottom wall and side walls extending therefrom, together with an upper retaining fiap adapted to t over the necks of the bottles when the device is in extended position and to hold the bottles against lateral displacement when brought to closed position.

Another object of the invention is to equip a device of the class described with a retaining device adapted to t over the necks of a` pair of bottles laterally disposed in the carrier and thereby hold the carrier in closed adjustment, said retaining device being equipped to serve as a crown cap bottle opener.

Additional advantages of the invention will be readily apparent from the following detailed 'description thereof, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. l is an exterior plan view of the carrier blanked out, extended and unfolded.

Fig. 2 is an interior plan view of the carrier extended with the hand-holds folded and with the position assumed in loading Fig; 4 is a longitudinal section taken substantially 'on the line 4 4 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 5 is a cross-section taken substantially on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a detailed perspective view of the retaining device for holding the carrier in closed adjustment.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings, the device is shown asmade from an elongated substantially rectangular blank of corrugated paper board, although it should be understood that the material of which the carrier is made is not restricted to corrugated paper board but may be of any material sultable for the purpose. The elongated rectangular blank of material is stamped and scored to provide the several parts and features hereinafter referred to.

The ends of the blank are rounded at the external corners to form the hand-holds 1 of the handle member, said hand-holds being separated from the connecting members of the handles by transverse score lines 2. The section of the blank inwardly from each end is cut out, forming flaps 3 shown in extended position in Fig. 1 and in folded position in Fig. 2. These aps are separated from the transverse portion of the handholds of the handle by score lines 4 that run parallel with the end edges of the carrier blank. The flaps 3 are adapted to be folded inwardly, as indicated in Fig. 2 of the drawings, and held in the folded position by staples, the heads 5 of which seat in the outer face of the members l and the prongs 6 thereof extending inwardly through the flaps 3, thereby holding the flaps in folded pc- 'sition, affording a rounded internal edge for the hand-hold portion of the handle members.

Inwardly from the flaps 3 are retaining members 7 for the upper portion of the bottles.- These retaining members comprise a flap; indicated by 7, having a plurality of. longitudinal alined cir.

cular openings 8 formed therein-1'" The members 7 are separated from the adjacent side wall portions of the container by a score line 9 which has extensions 10, said extensions 10 forming an ad-` justable portion of the handle of the container. Inwardly from the score line 9 and its extensions 10 is a relatively wide wall section 11 forming the side walls of the carrier, said side walls being defined from the intermediate bottom wall 12 of the container by score lines 13. At either side of the intermediate bottom wall 12 and .formed in u the adjacent side walls 11 are a series of cutout openings 14, the base of the openings resting against the edge of the intermediate bottom wall 12 and developing upwardly into rounded apexes, as clearly shown in plan in Figs. 1 and 2 and in vertical elevation in Fig. 3. The purpose of the openings 14 is to provide engagement for a segment of the rounded outwardly bulging edges of certain types of bottles so that, whenthe side walls arebrought to a vertical position, the bottles will be held against transverse or lateral displacement by the edges of the opening impinging against the segments that extend int the openings, as best indicated in Fig. 5 of the drawings.

The ends of the bottom wall 12 are arranged to be elevated as an incident to closing the carrier, thereby forming flanges to prevent lateral displacement of the bottles loaded in the carrier, and also to provide a protection for the lower bottle edges of the adjacent bottles so loaded in the carrier. To this end, the end sections 15 of Vthe bottom wall are denned from the intermediate section thereof by a longitudinal score line 16 which is formed by pressing the material inwardly from the interior of the blank. The score lines 16 have formed in prolongation thereof and through the adjacent edges of the side walls outwardly inclined internally formed score lines 1'7. Exteriorly of the blank are inwardly inclined score lines 18. This relationship of the score lines 16, l'l and 18 forms folds that move the sections 15 upwardly-and inwardly when the side walls 11 are raised from flat extended position to a vertical position in closing the carrier.

It will be recognized that, in certain types of bottles, the segments at the bottoms of the bottles will not extend into the openings 14; therefore, as an additional safety provision and to prevent lateral displacement of the bottles loaded in the carrier, the abutments formed by the end sections 15 prevent the bottles from displacement from the carrier. 1

The manner in which the carrier is loaded is indicated clearly in Fig. 2. A plurality of bottles 19 are adjusted in transverse rows against the inner face of the side walls 1l and with the bottom sections 20 of the bottles adjacent to the openings 14, so that segments thereof project into respective ones of the adjacent openings 14. The bottles are laid on the side walls so that the bottoms thereof lie along a score line 21 that defines the division between the bottom wall and the side walls. The flaps are folded inwardly and engage over the respective necks of the bottles adjacent thereto. The side walls are thenelevated to a vertical position, carrying the bottles to vertical adjustment and bringing the outer edges of the flaps 7 into a substantially horizontal plane. Incident to the folding in of the side walls 11, the ends of the bottom wall are brought to a vertical position because of the arrangement of the score lines 16, 17 and 18. When the carrier is thus adjusted, a retaining device, shown in detail in Fig. 6 and comprising a plate 22 with openings 23 therein, is positioned so that the necks of the internal pair of bottles are engaged within the openings 23. Itshould be noted .that the side edge of the retaining device 22 is provided with a notch 24 so that the retaining device may also serve as a bottle opener. It is only necessary to provide a single retaining device engaging the intermediate pair of bottles to hold the carrier in closed adjustment. The handle structure extending from the side walls is 1,995,2so l adapted to be folded inwardly so that the upper portion of each section of the handle construction lies parallel with each other to form a readily engageable hand-hold protecting the hand of the user against strain due to the inwardly folded flaps 3, thereby providing a four-ply hand-hold for the user. Since the sections of the `handle construction are scored along the extending score lines 10, the handle structure may be folded downwardly against thetop of the bottle caps, and thereby provide a compact case so that the entire carrier may be conveniently packed.

It is obvious that, if desired, the handle structure may be made separate from the body portion of the carrier, although a unitary handle structure has certain advantages over a separately attached handle.

From the foregoing description, it will be understood that the objects of the invention have been fully obtained and that a convenient readily loadable and readily transportable protecting carrier for' bottles has been provided.

It should be understood that the invention is not limited to the detailed construction described, but contemplates a breadth of novelty within the appended claims.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

1. A collapsible bottle carrier comprising a one piece blank cut and folded into a container having a bottom adapted to accommodate two distinct rows-of bottles, two side walls extending upwardly from said bottom, a pair of converging bail-like flaps extending from the respective upper edges of said walls, and horizontal flaps struck from the inner portion of said converging flaps respectively each remaining joined thereto at one edge and having apertures to receive the necks of bottles in a row adjacent to said edge, and me'ans separate from said blank adapted to engage the neck of a bottle in each rowy and thereby hold the carrier in. assembly.

2. A collapsible bottle carrier comprising a one piece blank cut and folded into a container having a' bottom adapted to accommodate two distinct rows of' bottles, two side walls extending upwardly from said bottom, a pair of converging bail-like flaps extending from the respective upper edges of said walls, and horizontal flaps struck from the inner portion of said converging naps respectively each remaining joined thereto at one edge and having apertures to receive the necks of bottles in a row adjacent to said edge, and means other than said blank adapted for holding`the carrier in assembly by engaging the neck of a bottle in one row and by connection with the horizontal iiap adjacent said row.

3. A collapsible bottle carrier comprising a one piece blank cut and folded into a container having a bottom adapted to accommodate two distinct rows of bottles, two side walls extending upwardly from said bottom, a pair of converging bail-like flaps extending from the respective upper edges of said walls, horizontal flaps struck from the irmer portion of said converging flaps respectively each remaining joined thereto at one edge and having apertures to receive the necks of bottles in a row adjacent to said edge, and reinforcing strips struck from the inner portion of said converging flaps respectively each remaining joined thereto at one edge and folded over to provide a double ply handheld for each' of said naps,

neck of a bottle in one row and by connection with for each handle section, and a pair of aps cut the horizontal ap adjacent said row. from the inner portion oi' the handle sections, 4. A collapsible bottle carrier comprising a one connected thereto respectively at one edge, folded piece blank cut and creased to fold into a, coninwardly parallel to the bottom section, and tainer having a bottom section adapted to accomhaving apertures to receive the necks of bottles modate two adjacent rows of bottles, said side on the row adjacent to said edge, and means other wall sections extending upwardly from said botthan saidblank adapted for holding the carrier tom section, a pair of converging handle sections in assembly by engaging the neck of a bottle in extending from the respective upper edges of said one row and by connection with the horizontal wall section, flaps connected to the upper portion flaps adjacent said row. 10 of the handle sections folded over against said upper portion to provide a double ply handhold GEORGE S. EVERHART. 

